At 8 PM, Adelaide arrived at the Headmaster's Office on the eighth floor as invited.
"Lemon Sherbet!"
No sooner had she spoken than the ugly Gargoyle on the eighth floor, which had seemed lifeless, suddenly opened its eyes. Then its entire body leaped up, nimbly jumping aside.
At the same time, accompanied by a dull rumbling sound, the wall behind the Gargoyle began to slowly crack open, as if being forcefully torn apart by an invisible hand; the crack grew wider and wider, eventually splitting completely into two halves, revealing a hidden passage behind it.
Adelaide composed herself and stepped onto the spiral staircase at the end of the passage, entering the Hogwarts Headmasters Office.
Haskui, who had been standing on its perch diligently preening Fawkes' feathers, spotted its long-unseen young master. As if discovering a huge surprise, its eyes widened, and its excitement was palpable.
It spread its wings and flapped vigorously, continuously shouting loudly, "Welcome! Very welcome!"
These excited shouts echoed through the Headmasters Office, as if to fill the entire room with joy and happiness.
Adelaide touched the tuft of hair on its head with some relief. It wasn't easy for this child to remember her even while in love.
Fawkes, standing nearby, also seemed to sense this enthusiasm. It raised its proud head and let out a clear, resonant cry: "Chirp Chirp"
The sound was like a heavenly melody, melodious and lingering, seemingly expressing its deep joy and welcome to Adelaide.
Headmaster Dumbledore, sitting behind the solid wood desk, smiled slightly. A mysterious light flickered in his deep eyes. He gently waved his hand, and a plate of fragrant Lemon Meringue Pie appeared from nowhere.
Dumbledore smiled and beckoned to Adelaide, inviting her to taste the delicious dessert.
Seeing Adelaide pick up a lemon tart, Dumbledore also took a piece and said while eating, "Adelaide, that night's operation was a complete success thanks to your bravery. I am proud of you!"
"To reward your immense contribution to the Wizarding World, undeterred by death, I strongly recommended you to the board and successfully applied for the Special Contribution to the School Award for you. This proposal has received unanimous approval from all Hogwarts board members and has now passed with a full vote... Furthermore, I plan to add another 200 points to Ravenclaw House; are you satisfied with this arrangement?"
Adelaide elegantly picked up a piece of Lemon Meringue Pie and took a small bite—her expression suddenly changed, and her previously relaxed brows furrowed tightly.
Oh my goodness, how much sugar did they put in this pie?
It was simply a lethal amount of sweetness!
Shouldn't lemon pie be sweet and sour? Why add so much sugar!
"Oh... I don't have any particular objections~ But could you please get me a glass of pure water—absolutely no sugar! Thank you very much!"
Dumbledore smiled as he swallowed an entire lemon tart. He then produced a prepared glass of water from somewhere and handed it to Adelaide, watching her drink it.
"Adelaide, I have a question that has been bothering me for several days, stuck in my throat. Would you be willing to answer it for me?" Dumbledore stared intently at Adelaide, his eyes full of anticipation and anxiety.
Upon hearing this, Adelaide couldn't help but raise her eyebrows, secretly wondering how even the exceptionally wise Dumbledore could have a question he couldn't figure out, and he was asking her?
Adelaide quickly adjusted her expression and responded with a smile, "Respected Headmaster Dumbledore, I am happy to answer your questions, please feel free to ask—but as for the correctness of my answer, I really can't guarantee it!"
As soon as she responded, she felt a strange sensation surge in her mind, as if a special link had formed with Dumbledore opposite her—
The amiable smile that had been on Dumbledore's face instantly vanished, replaced by an extremely serious and solemn expression.
Adelaide knew something was wrong; she seemed to have fallen into old fox Dumbledore's trap!
Dumbledore didn't give her much time to think and spoke directly, "Adelaide, I want to ask about what happened that night. At that time, you cast an extremely powerful and mysterious spell that destroyed the Horcrux—I am very curious, who taught you this spell?"
No sooner had he spoken than Adelaide blinked her bright, lively eyes, quickly recalling the spell she had cast that night. Was Headmaster Dumbledore referring to that so-called Star Charm that released brilliant light like a star net?
Isn't this a spell even Alice knows? What's there to ask?
However, before she could delve deeper into the question, her mouth, as if uncontrolled, blurted out a concise and clear answer: "I don't know."
Dumbledore slightly furrowed his silver-like eyebrows, a hint of doubt and scrutiny in his eyes, then asked, "Was this ingenious plan of using the White-browed Huntsman Spider to find Dark Arts items in the school conceived solely by your own clever mind, or did someone else advise and guide you behind the scenes?"
Adelaide answered without hesitation, "This was entirely my own idea, thought out by racking my brains."
Dumbledore's wise and profound eyes began to move rapidly, as if he was quickly analyzing various possibilities and clues in his mind.
After a moment, he finally broke the silence and posed his last question: "Then, do you still have the ability to cast that magical spell that destroyed the Horcrux again?"
Facing this sudden inquiry, Adelaide initially responded without thinking, "I cannot..."
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she seemed to suddenly realize something. She abruptly looked up, her face filled with anger, and shouted at Dumbledore, "Wait! You actually gave me Veritaserum!"
Dumbledore slowly shook his head, a faint smile appearing on his face, and calmly explained, "Adelaide, you must know that using Veritaserum on underage Wizards without official authorization from the Ministry of Magic is a serious violation of the law."
"I vouch for my character and integrity; what you just drank was not Veritaserum, but a special Contract Potion carefully brewed by Severus."
"Once the contract takes effect, I have the right to ask you three questions, and you must answer truthfully; in exchange, after I finish asking, you also have the right to ask me three questions, and I absolutely cannot lie to you."
"Please rest assured, our conversation will remain fair and just—so, dear Adelaide, do you have anything you wish to ask me?"
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